civilly

adverb

civ·​il·​ly ˈsi-və(l)-lē How to pronounce civilly (audio)
1
: in terms of civil rights, law, or matters
civilly dead
2
: in a civil manner : politely

Examples of civilly in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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The law also protects officers from being held civilly liable for any damage caused by intercepting the drone. Julia Bonavita, FOXNews.com, 13 May 2025 Remington, the other student found civilly liable in the wrongful death case, was the only one to be criminally charged. Tresa Baldas, USA Today, 28 Apr. 2025 Debate over Communion for Divorced Catholics That document opened discussions about Communion for divorced and civilly remarried Catholics, spurring debate among clergy and laity. Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Apr. 2025 Trump last year filed a defamation suit against ABC News after anchor George Stephanopoulos inaccurately said on-air that Trump had been found civilly liable for raping the writer E. Jean Carroll. Alex Isenstadt, Axios, 24 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for civilly

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of civilly was in the 15th century

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Cite this Entry

“Civilly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/civilly. Accessed 22 May. 2025.

Kids Definition

civilly

adverb
civ·​il·​ly ˈsiv-ə(l)-lē How to pronounce civilly (audio)
: in a civil manner : politely

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